Remember
by Ma'at's Apprentice
Summary: After Yami leaves, an accident sends Yugi hurling back in time to Ancient Egypt, during the reign of Pharaoh Atem. Alone in a strange world, Yugi isn't sure what to do. But what can you do when the one you love doesn't remember who you are? AtemxYugi/YYxY
1. Chapter 1: A Spell Gone Wrong

Ma'at's Apprentice: So sue me. I was originally going to work on a new story idea of mine called Angel of Darkness, but I decided I just HAD to write this idea instead. Speaking of which, you probably don't even know what I'm talking about.

Ah.

Gomennasi, my small amount of readers.

Summary: After all the trials and challenges they have faced, Yami finally had to depart for the afterlife. Yugi, who is struggling with himself, can't believe his yami is gone forever.

Or at least, that's what he thinks.

Driven by the need to see Yami again, Yugi approaches the Ishtars in hope that they will be able to help him. They do, but not in the way he expected.

Instead of Yami coming back to present Japan, Yugi finds himself whisked back in time to Ancient Egypt; where Yami as Atem reigns as Pharaoh. But that's not even the worst part. What do you do when the one you love doesn't remember who you are?

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"_Mou hitori no boku!" Yugi called after the retreating figure. All around him his friends were crying as the spirit of the former Pharaoh approached the door to the afterlife. "Don't go, please!"_

_Yami stopped, turning around slowly. "I must, Yugi. I don't belong in this time. Not anymore. Please don't cry, aibou." Yami walked back to Yugi, cupping the younger's tear-stained face in his hands. "Be strong for me, my Little Light. My hikari. My only."_

"_I can't, Yami! I can't be strong... not without you." Yugi's eyes teared up as his yami's gaze softened, becoming almost tender. For a heartbeat, Yugi could imagine that the former Pharaoh loved him just as he loved the Pharaoh._

"_Atem... Yami..."_

"_Shh. Don't cry, mou hitori no ore. Don't cry. I don't want you to ever shed tears. Not over me. Not over me." Yami's hand slid from Yugi's chin as he started back towards the glowing door._

"_Yami!" Yugi called one more time. "Promise me... promise me that you'll never forget me!" Yami turned back once, his crimson eyes solemn._

"_I promise, aibou." And then he was gone._

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Yugi Motou sat at a table in the local burger place; stirring his smoothie absentmindedly. That had been six months ago. He wished, for the umpteenth time, that he had told the ex-Pharaoh that he loved him. Maybe he would have stayed? Yugi hoped that wherever Yami was now... well, Yugi just wished he was happy. That's all Yugi wanted.

No, that was a lie. Yugi wanted his yami. His darkness. The other part of his soul.

And maybe,_ maybe_, there was something he could do to bring him back.

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"Please?" The young, tri-color haired boy stood in front of a tall, somewhat imposing woman with long flowing black hair and sapphire eyes. The woman, whose name was Ishizu Ishtar, merely sighed.

"Yugi, to perform that kind of spell... you can't even begin to think about how much work it takes!" Ishizu said, begging the boy to understand. The boy, who by now we all know went by the name Yugi Motou, merely made his violet eyes go even wider... if that was humanly possible.

"Yugi, I..."

"Please?" Yugi tried again, his eyes tearing up slightly.

"Yugi, it will take me six months to prepare a spell of this magnitude." Ishizu said, caving to The Eyes. Well, who wouldn't? Those things were practically lethal weapons! Hell, Ishizu had even seen Kaiba cave to them a couple of times!

"Oh, thank you, Ishiuz!" Yugi cried, wrapping his arms around the older woman's waist. "Thank you so much!" He then scampered out of the room, leaving the baffled spell castor to sort through her belongings for the right ingredients. Her brow furrowed when she realized one of her components was missing.

"Hmm... I guess I could substitute it. It shouldn't change anything," she mumbled to herself as a resounding crash from the kitchen caught her attention. Marik ambled out shortly afterwards. Now that his evil yami was gone and he had abandoned his quest for world domination (or whatever), Marik had been a lot easier to get along with.

"Hey, sis," he said, leaning against one of the counters where Ishizu kept her ingredients. "Was that Yugi that just ran out?"

"Yes, why?" Ishizu asked with suspicion.

"Just curious." Marik held a pear in his hand. He bit into it nonchalantly before whirling around and disappearing into the kitchen. Ishizu rolled her eyes. "I'd better get working on this," she muttered to herself.

And that's just what she did.

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**==Six Months Later==**

Yugi Motou was practically bouncing in his seat. Why not? He had been anticipating the arrival of this day for months! His amethyst eyes glowing in a way his friends had not seen since Yami left. Yugi dived into his friend's nervous chatter. Of course, he didn't notice how nervous they were. Nay, he was too busy fantasizing about seeing Yami again. Finally, Joey had enough.

"Look, Yuge. I don't mean ta dampen your enthusiasm or anything, but you're freakin' us out!" The blonde said, slamming his hand down on the table. Yugi, too lost in his own world, merely smiled.

"I am? Sorry, Joey," he said.

"Yugi, are you okay?" Ryou asked, putting a hand over Yugi's in concern. "You've been acting like this all day! And while it's great to see you happy again..."

"You've been getting steadily happier these past six months, and that's great, but this... even when Yami was here you were never... this... out of it..." Joey trailed off and coughed as an uncomfortable silence met the table and the Burger Bistro. Anzu, who had been filing her nails, suddenly looked up with interest.

"What's this about Yami?" Her sapphire eyes glittered, and Yugi had to suppress the urge he felt to strangle the girl he had once considered his friend.

After Yami had left, it had become clear to the group that the former Pharaoh had been the only reason Anzu had hung around them. They had expected her to get bored and leave, but to their great annoyance she stuck around. She didn't even try and pretend to be nice anymore. She had dated Tristan for a while, before dumping him brutally. The group had tried avoiding her after that, but it was like she had a Yugi-Radar. Wherever the small, tri-colored hair boy went, Anzu could usually find him.

Which was, Yugi thought, very annoying. But still. After today it wouldn't matter. For today, if you haven't already guessed, was the day Ishizu's spell came into play.

"Yugi!" Yugi suddenly noticed Joey waving a hand in front of his face. He shook his head. "Yes, Joey?" he asked, blinking. Joey sat back in his chair, frowning.

"Just seeing if you were still alive."

"I'll only ask once more: What's this about Yami?" Anzu snapped irritably.

"We were just referring to Yugi's behaviour!" Joey said – or rather, grumbled.

"If Yugi behaved anything like Yami, he wouldn't be-"

"Oh, just shut up!" Joey swiped his hand through the air, glaring at Anzu.

"If Yugi acted more like Yami he wouldn't BE Yugi!" Ryou said, his face flushed with anger.

"Which, in my opinion, is probably a good thing." Anzu spread her hand out in front of her, yawning loudly as she studied her nails.

"Yeah? Well no one cares about your opinion!" Marik suddenly yelled across the room as he sauntered into the fast-food restaurant. He quickly slid into the last open spot in the booth all the friends were currently sharing. It was next to a window, which gave them a simply lovely view of the streets outside.

Okay, so maybe the view wasn't that great. But Joey always – _always_ – insisted they sat at the window booth.

"Go away, Ishtar!" Joey, who hadn't quite gotten over Marik/Malik's past trickery, scowled at the blonde Egyptian who, as of five seconds ago, had managed to snatch two of his fries. Marik grinned, looking somewhat insane.

"Now that was just mean," Marik simpered, popping the fries into his mouth and chewing. "Thanks, man."

"Get away from my fries, you... fry mooching... fry stealer!" Joey sputtered.

"Oh. I'm quaking." Marik looked at Joey with an expression that said: "What that seriously the best you could come up with?"

"What do you want?" Anzu asked, eyeing Marik's lavender midriff. Marik, noticing this, sat in the booth seat across from her, muttering something in Egyptian under his breath.

"I'm here to see Yugi," Marik said.

"Me?" Yugi looked up. His eyes suddenly brightened. "Has she... did she... is it done?"

"It's ready, if that's what you mean." Marik scratched the back of his neck, looking almost nervous under the intense stares from Joey, Ryou, and Anzu. Tristan hadn't wanted to come today. Yugi knew his friend just didn't want to see Anzu. In fact, everyone seemed to know that except Anzu herself. So, they had all accepted the excuse Tristan gave them, and come without him.

"What's ready? What's he talking about, Yuge?" Joey demanded, honey eyes narrowing.

"Umm... nothing!" Yugi said, sliding out of his seat. He was on the edge, so it was easy enough. He then grabbed Marik's arm, pulling him towards the exit to the fast-food place. "Come on!" Yugi said.

Marik saluted the others as Yugi dragged him, a smirk that said "I know something you doooon't. " plastered across his face.

"Yugi, wait!" Joey and Ryou called, but Yugi had already dragged Marik away and vanished.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Anzu sat, sipping the last of her soda. Yugi was up to something, she knew. Something involving Him. Who was Him? Well, only the most sexy and desirable man alive! Or, rather... dead, she guessed, in his case. Yes. Yugi was definitely up to something... something involving Yami. The ancient 3000-year-old-spirit/former Pharaoh. And she would find out what it was, starting... now.

"I have to go," she said, standing up and abandoning her drink. "My, uh... mother told me that I had to be back by a certain time." She grabbed her pink jacket and threw it over her yellow tank, the one she knew made her look sexy. ((A Note from Ma'at's Apprentice: Or at least, she THOUGHT she knew. Ra. *Shakes head*)) Joey and Ryou looked relieved, though Anzu was too busy plotting ways to draw Yami away from Yugi to notice.

Yes. With no real circumstantial evidence she had come to the conclusion that Yugi was going to see Yami... somehow.

And when he did, she was going with him. And not even the combined power of the three god cards would be enough to stop her!

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"Yugi! Yugi! Stop!" Marik called.

"Why?" Yugi asked, panting hard.

"Because we passed the house!"

"...Oh."

**==Some Time Later==**

Yugi Motou stared at the puzzling symbol Ishizu had drawn on the floor of her spell-room... or whatever she called it. Actually, Yugi didn't know much about this room. He'd have to ask later... maybe.

"What is she doing?" Yugi asked Marik. They were sitting atop the strange symbol; looking at a matching symbol she had drawn on the wall. The symbol itself was a weaving of intricate patterns; but the star which the patterns intertwined through was five-pointed, crossing in the middle. A circle was drawn around it, and that was what Yugi, Ishizu, and Marik was sitting in.

"Sshh!" Marik said. "She must have no distractions. This is the most important part of the spell. If it gets messed up, disastrous things could happen." Marik had crossed his legs, unlike Yugi and Ishizu who were both kneeling. Ishizu mumbled a few strange words, then stood up. A few scented candles burned around the room; for effect, Yugi thought.

"Come, Yugi." Ishizu drew Yugi over to the drawing on the wall. However, upon further inspection, Yugi realized that the drawing on the wall was, in fact, different than the one on the ground.

For right in the middle of one of the star points was a hand print.

"Place your hand here!" Ishizu told Yugi. "Quickly! We haven't much time!"

"Much time?" Yugi asked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Hurry! And whatever you do, DON'T TAKE YOUR HAND OFF THE STAR!" Ishizu sounded almost panicked suddenly, and Yugi thrust his hand towards the drawing. His hand fit perfectly in the outline, but that wasn't what startled him. As soon as his skin made contact with the smooth stone, a green light shot out; outlining the design in an eerie light. Five green lines shot out from his hand. They extended in a straight line, each of them making contact with a star point. Yugi was breathing fast, his eyes wide. A white light started to surround his hand next, expanding in a circular pattern like holy fire.

Then the burning started.

Yugi squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the pain, but it felt as if his hand was being consumed by white fire. Which in a way it was, but still. He cried out in pain, and was about to remove his hand when he heard Ishizu screamed at him again, telling him not to.

"Ignore the pain! Ignore it!" Ishizu cried as Yugi screamed again, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes, which he kept closed.

"I-I can't!" Yugi felt like he could pass out any moment.

"You have to! For Yami!" Marik, who had been silent until now, suddenly called out.

Yami... Yugi squeezed his eyes shut even tighter and pictured the crimson-eyed youth in his mind. Yami's smile, the fierce, determined face we wore when duelling, and finally the tender expression he had given Yugi just before he had left for the afterlife.

_Hold on just a bit longer, aibou! A bit longer! _Yugi heard Yami's voice as if he were speaking to him. So, he swallowed the pain and scrunched up his face, holding his hand in place. ((A Note from Ma'at's Apprentice: I rhymed! Yay!))

Just a little bit longer... ((Another Note from Ma'at's Apprentice: Now I have that song stuck in my head.))

"YUGI!" Yugi's hand suddenly dislodged from the star as Anzu, who had burst in through the door, tripped over a candle and crashed into him.

"What have you done?" Cried Ishizu.

Then all hell broke loose.

A dark light shot out from the star, striking a random place in the room and bouncing off walls. Green electricity seemed to crackle and fizzle around the design itself, and the room started to vibrate.

"What's happening?" Yugi cried. Anzu, who had by now picked herself up, stood petrified with fear.

"Yugi... the seal... touch..." Ishizu's words were lost. Yugi, thinking she was telling him to touch the seal again, stumbled over a fallen stool until he stood in front of the strange marker again.

Please, Ra, let this work, he thought desperately as he closed his eyes and pushed forward.

And if he thought it was hell before, it was nothing compared to what happened next.

A deafening roar lanced through the room, knocking Yugi backwards. A loud "NO!" was uttered from Ishizu. "Yugi, Anzu, Marik! Get out of here!" Marik, who had been cowering behind a desk, immediately bolted for the door. Ishizu followed, screaming at the remaining two occupants.

"No, wait!" Yugi screamed suddenly as he saw balls of shadows begin to swirl around the room. Anzu, who still hadn't moved, fainted dead-on.

"Anzu!" Yugi crawled over to Anzu. "Anzu, get up!"

"Yugi, get out of there! The spell has gone wrong, I can't control it!"

"I can't leave her here!" Yugi cried, even though this was all her fault in the first place. He was just about to reach her, when suddenly something gave his foot a violent tug. He turned around and screamed when he saw that one of the Shadow-things had gotten him.

No! No, this wasn't happening! "Yami! Yami!" Yugi cried in terror, half expecting his other half to suddenly appear and blast the foul creature to the Shadow Realm.

But Yami didn't appear.

"Yami! Yami, please! Help me!" Yugi sobbed, tears streaming down his face. Was he going to die? Probably.

"Yami!" He called again, just as the shadow-thing picked him up. Anzu was suffering a similar fate, only she was unconscious.

Lucky bitch.

The last thing that raced through Yugi's mind was the image of his yami. Smiling, happy... his yami... oh, his heart ached to think that he would never see him again. So, taking his final breath, Yugi called the name, the real name, of the one person who meant more to him than anyone else in this world.

"ATEM!"

Then there was a bright white flash, and Yugi saw no more.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Ishizu looked out from around the doorframe, Marik across her on the opposite side. Suddenly the blonde Egyptian darted forward, his lavender eyes wide with disbelief. "They're gone! Both of them!" He said incredulously. "Where? How? What happened?"

"When Anzu disrupted the spell... I don't know what happened, but they're gone. The seal took them."

"Took them where?"

"Where else? Back to the World of Memory."

"World of Memory?"

"Yes. You see, the last thought Yugi had was of Yami. Or rather... the Pharaoh. Atem."

"You mean...?" Marik sucked in a breath.

"Yes. Instead of Yami coming here, they have gone back to Yami."

"You don't seriously mean..."

"Yes. They've gone back. Back in time. Back to Ancient Egypt."

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Ma'at's Apprentice: And there you have it. I'm sorry for the weak ending; the original closing stages I had thought up deserted me just as I started typing the part where Yugi and Anzu got teleported. So yeah.

I think I cried writing the first part of this fic. You know, the part where Yami leaves. Sorry. That was just depressing. And I think Yami's angry at me...

Yami: You! FanFiction author!

Ma'at's Apprentice: ... *Swears in Egyptian and bolts*

Yami: Get back here! You'll pay for being so mean to my aibou!

Ma'at's Apprentice: Geez, I said I was sorry!

Yami: Sorry isn't good enough! When I get my hands on you... *Lunges*

Ma'at's Apprentice: *Sidesteps* Well, I think this would be a good time to end this. I am unfortunately preoccupied at this current moment in time, as you can see. *Dodges a lamp* I believed I have learned a very valuable lesson from this.

Yami: Oh really? *Throws another lamp* Do tell.

Ma'at's Apprentice: Never anger a yami.

Yami: Someone, give the girl a medal. *Is about to chuck another lamp when he hears Yugi crying* *Drops the lamp and runs over to Yugi, gently wrapping his arms around him* Shh. Mou hitori no ore... hikari... aibou... don't cry...

Yugi: *Hugs Yami and sobs*

Ma'at's Apprentice: I am experiencing an emotion my computer programming identifies as guilt. I feel sad, now D: *Wipes a tear with a 'kerchief*

Anyways. This chapter, being the prologue/first chapter, is definitely going to be shorter than the others. Don't worry, they'll get longer!

Well, please R&R. I know I'm a little stiff, but please don't judge me. I'm new, and I'm always stiff in new places. I'll loosen up, you'll see! *Epic poses* -coughcough- Anyways... I realize I forgot to do the disclaimer.

And since I don't want to get my butt sued (that would suck) I'll post it here.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh!, so stop bothering me about it D: It makes me feel sad and contrite that I don't.

And for those lemony-obsessed people out there, I'm probably going to write one later ^^

Thanks for reading, and please review. Reviewers get... umm... cookies. Because I'm unoriginal like that.

-Ma'at's Apprentice.


	2. Chapter 2: Lucky

Ma'at's Apprentice: Chapter two. Yay? Yes, yay. This chapter has been playing itself over and over in my had since the first one came out. I'm serious. It won't stop.

Anyways, I'm sure you're not interested in hearing about my annoying plot bunnies. Nope. You're here for the story, eh? Don't blame you. I would be, too.

I'd like to thank all my reviewers/favoriters/alerters. And according to my computer "favoriters" and "alerters" aren't words.

Oh well.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I'm sure you're all secretly rejoicing.

Also, yes, Anzu is a bit of a bitch in this story. I needed a bitchy character. So sue me.

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Yugi wasn't sure was woke him. Perhaps it was the hammer that was pounding on his head. Perhaps it was the bright light he could see, even with his eyes closed. Or maybe it was the scorching heat of the sand brushing against his skin. Either way, he –

Wait, what? Sand? Yugi bolted up, his eyes squinting as they grew accustomed to the unusual amounts of luminosity. What in the world...

Stretching as far as he could see was a sea of sand. And no, that was no exaggeration. Golden dunes rolled across the desert-like landscape, covering any traces of vegetation or other life forms.

But the question that was burning through Yugi's mind wasn't "Where am I?" No. It was more along the lines of: "Why am I here?" His mind went back to those last moments in Ishizu's spell room. Spell... the spell! Oh, gods! Yugi remembered now. How the spell had gone wrong when Anzu had interrupted – Wait, Anzu! Yugi looked around frantically, searching for his "friend".

"Anzu?" He called, but his voice was lost in the expense of desert sands. "Anzu?" He coughed as a sudden gust of wind blew sand into his open mouth, and he spat it onto the ground. "Help!" He suddenly called, feeling desolation and despair wash over him.

He was alone. In a desert. With no food or water, or any signs of civilization.

Was the fact that there was no water mentioned?

Yugi clutched his head and moaned. Already the searing heat was getting to him, especially since he was wearing his gray vest, black shirt, and matching pants. The usual spot where the Millennium Puzzle had hung was bare, reminding Yugi yet again of his yami's absence. And of what he had been trying to do before ending up here.

Yugi suddenly stood up, staggering slightly as his head cleared. He knew that wandering around in the desert spelled almost certain death, but if by some fluke he was able to find an oasis, well... all the better.

And so, his eyes narrowed in determination, Yugi started walking forward, not knowing that this choice would impact not only his life, but the lives of many others as well.

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After wandering around for god knows how long, Yugi finally fell to his knees in a state of exhaustion. His throat felt dry and parched, and he was constantly wiping the sweat off his brow. He needed to find water... and soon.

Wait, what was that? There, up ahead! Yugi squinted his amethyst eyes, trying to make out the wavy form up ahead. But it wasn't a human form, oh, no. It was water. Yugi didn't even try and question his sanity. The water up ahead was so blue... so... appealing... Yugi could feel his mouth watering... or rather, watering as much as it could when he was dehydrated and exhausted.

I could go just a little longer, Yugi thought. I could make it.

And so, Yugi struggled to his feet again and trudged forward, his sneakers making imprints in the sand as he moved. However, to Yugi's dismay, he didn't seem to be drawing any closer to the small pond of water.

It was too much. He was too tired. Maybe... maybe if he could sleep for just one moment... Yugi felt his eyelids closing, flaked with sand as the tiny particles whirled around in the wind.

One minute... just one minute...

And he was out.

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"Is he waking up yet, sir?"

"Quiet, men... he needs his rest... You, boy... are you all right?" Yugi distantly heard the voices; voices he found he could not respond to. His throat felt dry... parched... and his head was still spinning. He tried vainly to respond, but fond he could not. He could feel someone prod him gently, the same voice saying: "Boy... boy? Do you have a name?"

"Sir, what if he's a spirit? Or a messenger for the gods? I mean, look at him!" Yugi heard another voice, and he could feel someone fondling his jacket.

"Quiet! If he is indeed such, it would not bode well for us to speak as such in his presence."

"It would also explain the striking resemblance to the Pharaoh..."

"Brothers?"

"Possibly. Half-brothers, at least. Maybe from one of the old Pharaoh's lesser wives..."

"Or concubines."

"That, too."

"... He hasn't woken up, yet."

"Does anyone have any water?"

"I have water right here, sir."

"Give it to me!" Yugi suddenly felt something pressed to his lips right before heaven coursed down his throat.

"Think we got to him in time, sir?" Yugi was able to open his eyes a crack, the blackness he had become so accustomed to slowly fading away to reveal two important-looking men standing before him. A pair of amethyst orbs belonging to one of the two men sparkled as Yugi's eyes suddenly snapped open in shock.

"Yes. Just in time." Said the man. He wore creamy white robes with a strange headdress. Covering half his face was a piece of cloth, but Yugi could still tell he was smiling.

"G-Grandpa?" Yugi could not believe his eyes. Even through the layers of cloth, this man was almost identical to Solomon Motou. The two men looked at him strangely.

"Well I'll be, Siamun! His eyes..." The second man, who wore a helmet and armour, leaned close to Yugi, staring at his eyes for so long that the little hikari started to fidget uncomfortably. "... it's like you're related!"

We are, Yugi thought privately. "What are you doing here, grandpa?" Yugi asked.

"Grandpa? Siamun, old fellow, you never told me you had a grandson!" The soldier-looking guy laughed. The other man looked confused.

"I don't..." Yugi bit his lip. This was all so confusing...

"Please... sirs, where am I?" Yugi finally asked, sitting up on the pallet he had apparently been laying on to clutch his head lightly. Yugi peered at Siamun again. Though the man apparently wasn't his grandfather, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen this EXACT person before... somewhere... The soldier chuckled again.

"That sun really fried your brain there, didn't it!" He laughed. Yugi shook his head and took a look around.

They were obviously in a tent; he could tell from the cloth that surrounded them on four sides. But it wasn't any tent he had seen before, no sir. The inside had various artefacts lying around, preserved in the best conditions Yugi had ever seen! While his grandfather had often brought home souvenirs, proclaiming at how well preserved they had been... well, it was nothing compared to this.

"Where did you find all this stuff?" Yugi gasped, looking at a tablet of hieroglyphics, so well preserved that it appeared to have been written only moments ago. While Yugi could not decipher all the strange alien symbols, he recognized the symbol for "Pharaoh" and "Man"... or was it "Boy"?

"Find, my boy?" The man who Yugi had come to identify as Siamun asked. Both males were staring at Yugi in confusion. It was then Yugi realized that he was not speaking Japanese anymore, rather some odd language they had barely touched reference on in history class.

"Am I speaking Egyptian?" Yugi asked out loud.

"What else would you be speaking?" The soldier looked confused. Yugi's eyes merely widened. So he was speaking Egyptian... in a desert... How could this be? How could he know how to speak Egyptian? Perhaps it was a side effect of the spell...

"Am I in Egypt?"

"..." Was the only response.

"I think he's suffering from dehydration. He's not speaking clearly," the soldier murmured quietly to Siamun, who didn't reply. Instead, he stared at Yugi with an unreadable expression.

"What day is it?" Yugi pleaded.

"Day?"

"Or year! Anything! Like, July 2009! Something!"

"July 2009? I have never heard of such a thing. Today is the feast of Hathor, goddess of-" He was about to say something else when Siamun lay a hand on his shoulder.

"Be silent, Khaldun." Siamun said sternly.

"Young one, I need to talk to you." Siamun held a hand out to Yugi, who took it silently and allowed himself to be led out of the tent.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

As soon as Yugi stepped out of the cloth building, the searing heat and blazing sun hit him full force. He gasped, but after receiving a worried look from Siamun, straightened and followed silently. They walked for about five minutes until they came to where a bunch of horses were tethered to a cart. Siamun sat down, and Yugi did the same after a moment's hesitation.

"Young one..."

"Yugi."

"Yugi..." Siamun tasted the name, marvelling at its oddness. "What does that mean?" Yugi looked slightly embarrassed.

"It, umm... means 'Game'. I'm really good at games..." He babbled, face heated from both the sun and this conversation. Siamun nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Our Pharaoh is a master at games," he said. Yugi looked up.

"P-Pharaoh?" Oh, crap... that means...

"Yes. Pharaoh. The Lord of Two Lands. Son of Re. Ruler of Egypt." So he _was_ in Egypt...

"Pharaoh." Yugi repeated, his mind making the connection, and his eyes widening in horror. He really _had_ traveled three thousand years into the past!

"If you are a messenger from the gods..."

"What?! I am no messenger!" Yugi cried. "Certainly not from the gods! I'm just here... looking for someone. Someone important." Yugi looked down at his hands. Siamun patted his knee.

"Back to business. Yu...gi, where are you from? Your skin is so pale..." Yugi froze up.

"Umm... Japan?"

"Ja...pan." Siamun's brow furrowed. "Never heard of it. Where is that?"

"Umm, well, I guess you wouldn't have... It's really far away."

"And you're looking for someone, you said?"

"Yes..." Yugi's gaze dropped again and he folded his hands in his lap with a large sigh.

"And you think that someone is here? In Egypt?" Siamun asked incredulously.

"No... I-I, I didn't mean to come here... it was an accident..."

"An accident?"

"I was... umm..." Yugi's mind raced, going over all the history lessons about Egypt he had ever been subject to listen to. "Kidnapped. By slavers." He said quickly. "My friend was, too. We were travelling across the desert when we... umm... were hit by a sandstorm. The slavers disappeared and left us to fend for ourselves. My friend and I wandered around for... awhile. Have you seen her?"

"I have seen a lot of females hanging around Thebes. What did she look like?"

"Umm... short brown hair, blue eyes... pale skin like me. Last I saw her she was wearing... umm... a pink miniskirt, a yellow tank-top, and a pink jean jacket." Yugi then cursed himself. Would these people even know what those things were?

"Jean?" Nope. One of the horses whinnied nearby. Siamun walked over to it and began patting its nose gently, murmuring soothing words. The horse bowed its head, exhaling through its nose. "You're a very strange person, Yugi," Siamun said. Yugi's ears went hot.

"Umm, well..." Yes, but it couldn't possibly because I'm from three thousand years in the future. By the way, have you seen a man that could be mistaken for my twin or older brother? No? Well, sorry to bother you. Good day, sir.

"Ah, no matter. Have you no family, my boy?"

"They died," Yugi said quietly. It wasn't all a lie. Yes, they had died, just not in this time period.

"I'm sorry. Do you have any place to work? Any way to take care of yourself?" Siamun's eyes held a grandfatherly concern.

"No," Yugi admitted, bowing his head. Siamun looked at him strangely.

"Do you have a brother?" Yugi was caught off guard by the question.

"N-No, sir!"

"Enough with the sir, Yugi. Just call me Siamun." Siamun chuckled fondly. The horse he was stroking snorted, and Yugi took the opportunity to glance into the cart. What he saw nearly took his breath away.

Inside were various goods: Spices, expensive cloth... heck, even some gold pieces! Yugi sucked in his breath. "Where are you taking all this stuff? Don't you know there are bandits out here?" Yugi recalled some more of his history lessons, and the stuff he had dug up about Egypt when Yami had gone all obsessive over his past.

Yami...

"Yes, Yugi. But you see, it's for the Pharaoh. Or, rather, for the festival planned for tonight. I need to get these to him. That's why I travel with such a large guard, you see." Yugi looked around. Indeed, he had noticed a bunch of men milling around by the large tent, a five minute walk away. Small camp fires were set up all around for cooking whatever food they could find. Yugi mentally chided himself for not noticing this stuff earlier, but in his defence, he had been rather... preoccupied. Thought-wise, anyways.

"For tonight, si-err, Siamun?" Yugi asked. "Surely you will not make it! We are in the middle of nowhere!"

"No quite true. While we will be a little later, something I hope the Pharaoh won't stress about, we will get there in about an hour's ride." Siamun peered closely at Yugi.

"Yugi, would you consider yourself a hard worker?"

"I... I guess so," Yugi frowned, twirling one of his blonde bangs around his index finger.

"Good." Siamun smiled. Yugi looked alarmed now, noticing Siamun's almost smug expression. "Because I know exactly where you can work."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Are you sure about this?" Yugi's lower lip trembled slightly as he stared at the massive sprawling metropolis down below. Truly, Thebes was a beautiful sight. White houses, looking so small from where Yugi stood, littered the busy, merchant-filled streets. He could faintly see the people rushing around, dressed in clothes that defined their social status.

Further into the city, yet somehow nearer the back, loomed the palace of the nameless Pharaoh. Though, Yugi thought, he was only nameless because Siamun and Khaldun had yet to say his name in the young King of Games' presence. Yugi figured you weren't supposed to say the name. They usually just referred to him as "the Pharaoh", or something like that.

Which, in retrospect, wasn't unusual for this time period, Yugi imagined. But still.

It was wonderful.

And he wasn't even in the city yet.

Siamun placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. Yugi didn't respond, instead gaping wide-mouthed. He had always imagined his grandpa finally taking him to see the ruins, but he'd never imagined seeing the city in its prime. With the man who could have been his grandpa in a past life.

Granted, he had been forced to travel over three thousand years into the past, and had almost died in the desert, but still.

And now... now he was to work in the palace of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh! The living God, Son of Re, the Lord of Two Lands... And not even as a slave, but as a free servant. Siamun had said he'd vouch for him, and if there was no opening, the man who Yugi had later found out was the Pharaoh's advisor could pull a few strings.

"Positive. You'll do fine, Yugi." Khaldun said encouragingly. Despite Yugi's earlier thoughts, the man was actually alright. He was polite, civil, and certainly not barbaric. Siamun nodded, withdrawing his hand and placing it in his rode.

"Shall we be off? Must not keep the Pharaoh waiting much longer. This is a very important feast, you know."

"It would be even more important if the Pharaoh would actually find a love to settle down _with._ Everyone knows the Living Horus despises Hathor." Khaldun said.

"But why? How can you hate the goddess of love?" Among other things, Yugi added privately.

"You really haven't been here very long, have you?" Khaldun replied. Siamun whacked him over the head with a rod he had been carrying.

Same old, same old, Yugi thought. Grandpa would never let someone get away with saying disrespectful things like that.

"I'll not tolerate a bad word about our Pharaoh. While he may not be the warmest, he is doing a brilliant job under all the stress! And for one so young..." Siamun shook his head.

"Young?" Yugi asked.

"Yes. He's a few years older than you. Around eighteen." Yugi's ears burned at this.

"Actually, I guess that makes me and the Pharaoh the same age!" Yugi tried to mask his shock and embarrassment. Shock at finding out this (literally) golden country was ruled by a man no older than himself, and embarrassment for being mistaken for someone younger.

Again.

"My apologises," Siamun murmured. He turned around then, walking across the dune to his bay-coloured horse. Said animal whinnied and tossed its head, pawing at the ground with impatience. Khaldun chuckled and mounted his own ride; a chestnut mare. Yugi followed the general as Khaldun climbed on to his horse's back, holding out his hand to Yugi, who took it gratefully and allowed himself to be hauled up.

Little did he know that the closer the horses and procession of men moved towards the city of Thebes and the palace of the Pharaoh, the closer he moved to one of the most feared monarchs of all time. The man who was supposedly without a heart. Or at least, that's how he appeared to everyone that didn't know him personally.

How was little Yugi to know what would lie in store?

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

_Meanwhile..._

Anzu ran through the streets of Thebes, trying to dodge the strange men in armour that were chasing her. Geez, all she had done was borrow an apple from one of the funny little men selling things on the streets! She even gave him five bucks for it!

"Stop, thief!" She kept running, trying to blend in with the crowd, ignoring the fact that she stood out like a sore thumb. These last two days had been host to the most horrible occurrences of her life! First, she had woken up on the outskirts of some random city, a bunch of street children staring at her like they wanted to approach her (most likely to try and steal something), but were too scared to.

Well, why wouldn't they be scared? Some girl with short brown hair, wearing a pink jacket, miniskirt, and yellow tank top had just randomly appeared in front of them. Plus, there was the matter of her odd, platform-like shoes, which made running kind of awkward, and almost impossible.

Too bad she hadn't discovered that before now.

She kept running, trying to dodge the sudden crowd of people, before she crashed into someone.

"Hey, watch it!" The figure hissed, and Anzu looked up.

"B-Bakura?" She scrambled backwards then, realizing who it actually was.

Yami Bakura. Ryou Bakura's insane yami... in Egyptian form. Thief King Akefia Bakura, whom she had seen when they had traveled back into Yami's World of Memory.

Well, hell. She was thoroughly screwed.

"Watch it!" The figure snarled. Anzu flinched and tried to scurry back. There was _no way _she wanted to be anywhere _near _this man, no matter how attractive he was!

She needn't have bothered. Some fat noble stepped between them, and Bakura had suddenly vanished. Anzu gulped, frantically glancing around. Bakura had been a stealth master. He could be sneaking up behind her, intent on doing horrible things! What if he-

"There she is!"

Or maybe he had just been smart enough to see the guards and flee before he could be seen talking to moronic girl wearing the telltale pink-and-yellow outfit.

Great. _Just _great. As if these past days hadn't already been horrible.

Briefly, Anzu considered the events of the past few days, and grimaced. If only she hadn't interfered...

_Flashback_

_Anzu sat at the booth of the Burger Bistro, joining her friends as they stared after Yugi's departing figure in confusion. Anzu frowned. Normally she wouldn't care, except... hmm... something didn't add up. Or rather, something did, but in an odd way._

_And now she was just confusing herself._

_Anzu dropped her nail file into her purse and stood up. "I think it's time I was going," she said, not noticing the relieved looks passed all around. In fact, there were only three things on her mind: Yami, and following Yugi. And really, those three things were just one thing._

_Following Yugi because she knew whatever he was going to do had something to do with Yami. So, flinging her bag over her shoulder, Anzu left the Burger Bistro, letting the door swing shut behind her._

_-=-=-=-_

_Anzu walked down the road towards the Ishtar's house. She had been trailing Yugi and Marik for some time, coming up with six thousand somewhat plausible explanations as to what was going on._

_So far, no real luck. The girl kept walking, the _clop clop clop _of her platform sandals hitting the pavement providing no distraction from the thoughts that plagued her._

_Little Yugi Motou was hiding something._

_And she would find out what it was._

_-=-=-=-_

_Anzu was crouched outside of the door to Ishizu's spell-room-thing. In their haste, the Ishtars had forgotten to lock their door; a fact Anzu had made sure to take advantage of. Now, her eyes merely widened in shock as she heard what was going on._

_They were going to bring Yami back? Yes! Anzu wanted to dance in triumph._

_But wait... _she _wanted to be there!_

After all,_ she thought, _why would he want to see Yugi first when he could see me?

_So it was with that thought in mind that Anzu burst into the room._

-=-=-=-

Then all hell broke loose because _apparently _Anzu had disrupted the spell. Psh. These people were just trying to blame her for everything. It was like some writer had suddenly classified her as a bad-guy of some sort.

Only no bad guy looked as good as she did. Seriously. What bad guy had -- never mind.

So, after she had magically transported to Ancient Egypt (yes, she had figured out where she was) by means of some dark magic crap or whatever, Anzu had marched into the city, and somehow found somewhere to sleep for the past two days.

And now she was running for her life from ugly men in armour. Hooray.

"Gotcha!" Anzu let out a high-pitch squeal as the guard grabbed her arm.

"Let go of me, you brute! You can get reported for this! You can't just assault decent girls on the street! I'll call the cops on you!" Anzu went on and on before remembering she was in Ancient Egypt.

Oh, right. No cops.

Damn.

"Decent?" The guard asked, looking her up and down. "Don't look so decent to me."

"Whore!" Another guard jeered. Anzu's face flushed from both anger and embarrassment.

"Yeah, well, if I had known I was going to be magically transported to Egypt, I would have worn something different!" She protested. The guards evidentially thought she was insane and started laughing.

"Shut up! I'll..." Anzu trailed off as she suddenly spotted a figure with familiar tri-coloured hair.

Yugi! But... what was he doing with those two men?

"Yugi!" She screamed. "Yugi, help me!" She paused as the figure turned, half expecting it to be Yami, in a way, and not because she really liked him. It would be more logical. After all, he _did_ come from Egypt...

However, when the figure turned, she was so grateful to see a proverbial face that she didn't care whether it was Yami or Yugi.

"Anzu?" Yugi gasped. Anzu was so deliriously happy she would have bowed down and worshipped the ground the little hikari walked upon.

"Yugi, help me! These guards think I stole something, but I didn't! I paid the man! How was I to know they didn't accept our local currency?"

Yugi paused, obviously laughing at her silently. He turned to his companions and pointed to Anzu, whose eyes were wide with fear.

Then the man with the veil covering his face walked over, said something to her captors, and she was free.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Yugi could hardly believe his ears as he heard his friend call his name. And even when he turned to see her being manhandled by some guards, he _still _couldn't believe it. In fact, he was about to pass it off as a mirage when she called out again, and Yugi realized that she was _really there._

_Flashback_

_The short hikari pulled at the edges of the new white tunic Siamun had given him._

"_I'm sure the Pharaoh won't mind one missing personal servant tunic... we can just say it got ruined." Siamun said as Yugi stared at himself in the ladle of water he had been presented with. The tunic went down to just above his knees, and was held by a rope around his waist. The top part was simple, really; the typical tunic-look. His sneakers had been replaced with a pair of traditional sandals, something his feet had been eternally grateful for._

"_As long as you're sure..." Yugi's original clothes were hidden in a wicker basket. One could not walk in to Thebes looking as he had on arrival._

_Khaldun had provided Yugi with a basin of water and a rag, and Yugi had cleansed the dirt and sand from his body. Now, at least, he looked presentable. Siamun, however, kept giving him looks._

"_What is it?" Yugi finally asked after the fourth time he had caught the elder staring._

"_You remind me of... myself. And someone else," the old man said. "Your hair might be a problem when we arrive in Thebes..."_

"_Why?" Yugi asked, confused._

"_Because-"_

"_Siamun, we are entering the city!' Khaldun called, and Yugi felt his shoulders droop in disappointment. Why was it so hard to find out more about the Pharaoh? I mean, he was only the divine ruler, the Living Horus... But to his surprise, most the of the soldiers had been really closed-mouth about it, too. So, Yugi had resigned himself to sitting still as the procession moved into Thebes itself._

_He was vaguely surprised when the guards suddenly broke off, marching ahead. The carriage trailed behind... at least until Yugi asked if they could stop for a moment. Khaldun had been about to protest, but Siamun had silenced him and nodded. Yugi had slid out of the carriage, staring at the street vendor goods._

_Oh, how good those pastries looked... Siamun must have noticed this, for he quickly drew out a couple coins and handed them to the woman that managed the stall. She was obviously minding it for someone, but was eager to make the sale. In fact, she even gave Yugi an extra pastry. Yugi gave her the full-force smile, and had been about to return to the carriage when Anzu called him._

-=-=-=-

And now both the friends were riding in the carriage towards the palace. Yugi had given Anzu his other pastry and was now smiling, just happy to see a friend... even if it was Anzu.

Suddenly, the brown-haired girl across from him fixed him with a penetrating glare.

"Where the hell are we? What is this place? I've been wandering around, getting chased by ugly men in armour, and I want to know WHERE WE ARE!"

"Egypt, Anzu..." Came Yugi's tentative reply.

"Well, obviously! But where? What time period? Obviously I know this is Ancient Egypt, but..." Anzu shut up as Yugi clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Shush! People think we're odd enough already!" Yugi smiled and sat back. They were just lucky they had been able to purchase some clothes for Anzu before leaving. She now wore a pain linen shift, also tied at the waist with a rope. Her platforms had been replaced by more practical sandals, as well.

"Oh..." Anzu frowned. The palace was looming closer with every second, and Yugi was beginning to sweat with nervousness. What would happen if Siamun couldn't find and opening for both him and Anzu? What if there was only one spot?

Oh, gods... What if they were forced to join a concubine? What if-

"Yugi!"

-they were forced onto the streets to fend for themselves? And if they-

"Yugi!"

-were forced into a-

"YUGI!" Yugi looked up.

"Yes?"

"You spaced out. Look!" Anzu pointed to the palace, which was suddenly right in front of them. It loomed; golden and bright. Even though the front gate-like things were closed, Yugi could still see the magnificent gardens spread out before him. The pathways to the palace doors were lined on each side with flowers of all sorts. Trees grew and stretched across the garden itself; there were maybe fourteen throughout the whole thing, he guessed.

Sapphire, amethyst, crimson, and topaz-coloured flowers were neatly arranged.

"Such a lovely, warm garden. Shame it belongs to such a cold-hearted Pharaoh..." Yugi's head turned as he heard the two guards that were walking along with the carriage start talking to each other.

"Hush, Kalian. If someone were to hear you..." The other guard glanced around nervously. The first guard, Kalian, snorted.

"I mean, he doesn't even..." Something was whispered.

"That's treason!" The second guard gasped. The first guard shrugged, but by then the guards at the gate-thing had pulled aforementioned structure open, and the carriage door had been flung aside. Siamun, who had been riding along the side on his horse with Khaldun, helped them out.

"Come on," the Pharaoh's advisor said warmly. Yugi smiled. Such kindness was so rare, Yugi knew, especially since, without any money, Yugi was no better than those street urchins.

He was so lucky to have been found by Siamun Muran.

"Come on Yugi. Anzu. I have sent a message to the palace. You're expected. The Pharaoh must make the final decision, however." Yugi looked up sharply. He knew this was highly unusual.

"Why?"

"I have spoken so fondly of you both. I am the Pharaoh's advisor, after all." Siamun chuckled. "Our Pharaoh has also been slightly... paranoid, of the late," he admitted. "But I'm sure you'll be fine. I'll just present you quickly, and that'll be it! You'll be in!" Siamun smiled, walking down the path towards the giant palace doors. The cart of goods was being pulled after them by the two guards, and Siamun signalled to the guards to take the cart in another way, so the servants and slaves could prepare the great hall for the feast of Hathor.

"Thank you, Siamun. For everything you've done for me." Yugi said, looking down.

"No problem, Yugi my boy." Siamun patted Yugi's head full of odd hair, marvelling at it.

"I didn't think two such hairstyles could exist in the world!" The man laughed.

"Pardon?"

"You'll see, Yugi. You'll see." Anzu suddenly coughed noisily.

"Are you going to go, or just stand here chatting?"

"We shall go. I must fill the Pharaoh in about my travels, and you two, well..." Siamun shook his head.

"Again, thank you," Yugi murmured quietly, as he and the others walked towards the doors.

But not even three thousand years of preparation could have primed Yugi and Anzu for the surprise that lay beyond those walls.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Ma'at's Apprentice: And there you have it, chapter two. Sorry it took so long. Hectic schedule stuff. Which royally sucks and I hate it.

/Shrugs/ Well, either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I stretched out writing it for a week or two, then finished over half of it in one night.

So please ignore any errors, for I know I probably made some and missed them again when I read over the chapter.

So... yeah. /Shrugs again/

Reviews are appreciated.

Until next time,

-Ma'at's Apprentice


	3. Chapter 3: Why Doesn't He Remember?

Oh, boy! An update!

Man, I suck. Over three months with no update? Hell yeah.

Anyways. Welcome to chapter... three, is it? Ah, yes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, and unless you can somehow come up with millions of dollars to buy it for me, I doubt I ever will.

I also need to stop changing my writing style, and I really hope I can keep the characters _in_ character this time. We'll just have to see.

*Glances over at Yugi and Anzu* ... Well, no-one really cares about Anzu. It's not that I have anything personal against the girl, I just wanted to have a bitchy character without creating an OC, as I believe I stated earlier. Playing to stereotypes like the Anzu-thing can be useful sometimes, don't you all agree?

Special thanks to **Natoya **for looking over this for me ;D

_-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-_

The Pharaoh's palace was – to put it simply – a wonder to behold. Gold gilded the otherwise white columns that stretched down the hallway, and intricate hieroglyphics painted in beautiful colors completed the look. At the end of the hallway stood two giant doors – the entrance to the fabled golden throne room, where the Pharaoh himself was waiting for them.

Yugi snuck a glance at Siamun. What were the chances that they had been whisked back in time to when Yami –or rather, Atem—had been Pharaoh? Slim to nothing, that's what they were, and that's why Yugi knew he shouldn't be getting his hopes up, or even thinking about it. Though that didn't stop him from wondering anyways.

The reason he thought this? He and all his friends (Except Joey, Anzu and Tristan, as far as he knew) were all reincarnates of past... Egyptians, oddly enough. Seto was Set's; Ishizu was Isis'; his grandpa was Siamun; Ryou was Bakura; and he was Atem himself, though Yugi had to frown a bit at that one. All his friends matched their past-selves almost exactly, personality and looks. (Well, he guessed Ryou didn't really.) Why were Yugi and Atem the only ones who didn't look or act alike? It was kind of strange, when you thought about it. Hell, even the Dark Magician and the Dark Magician Girl had the basic same looks, though the Dark Magician Girl had blonde hair while Mana, Mahaad's apprentice, had brown.

_Stop it, Yugi, _the young man berated himself. _Why brood over this? You should be hyperventilating right now! Oh, geez, I forgot... the Pharaoh! What if I slip up? What if I embarrass myself? Gods, I wish I hadn't even thought about hyperventilating... _

_Anzu... what about Anzu? _Yugi turned to see his friend walking with an air of confidence. Yugi hated her for that.

Okay, maybe he didn't hate her, but still. It was one of those Why I No Have What You Have? moments.

"Yugi!"

"Yeah?" Yugi replied, shaking his head full of tri-colored hair to return his focus to whatever was going on currently.

"Just checking." Yugi glared at his friend as Siamun chuckled from where he walked in from of them. As they neared the end of the hallway, Siamun suddenly paused. He nodded to the guards who had inclined their heads almost unnoticeably.

"I believe the Pharaoh (1) is expecting us?" The vizier said.

"Yes, sir. He left a message that you were to be let in immediately, sir!" To this, Siamun merely nodded, watching as the guards opened the giant, gold-engraved doors to reveal the legendary golden throne room of the Pharaoh.

Yugi couldn't hold the gasp that escaped his lips. To his left and right were golden columns, decorated with hieroglyphics and symbols depicting stories and legends of the Egyptian people. The floor was also tinted with gold, stretching until it ended at a similar golden set of stairs, which stretched up, ending in a golden throne to which only the Pharaoh would have the honour of sitting in.

Pharaoh... The living Horus. Son of Re.

And possibly...

"Set! What is the meaning of this?" Siamun's voice suddenly rang through the golden room, causing Yugi to look up and gasp.

Set... it was Seto!

"My apologises, Siamun, but the Pharaoh was called away on important business. Something came up. I'm sure you understand." The icy-eyed priest said, holding the golden Millennium Rod tightly in his iron-like grip. Yugi, however, was too busy being dazed to properly process anything else.

Set, Siamun... it all fit... but did that mean...? No... It couldn't be... it was too much to hope for...

"In the meantime, the Pharaoh told me he would trust in your judgement as to the placing of the two new servants. Siamun, you have too big a heart." Set snorted, and Yugi had to suppress a shiver as the priest's icy glare settled on each of them in turn. So like Seto...

"Thank you, Set." The old vizier replied, seemingly not put out at all by the priest's cold attitude and harsh demeanour. The High Priest just snorted again before turning and walking out of the room. (1)

"Well, Yugi, I guess you and Anzu had better get to work." Siamun said, looking apologetic as he scratched the back of his head with a shrug.

"That's all well and good, but where, exactly, will we work?" Anzu said, irritation sparking in her eyes. Yugi didn't blame her. For once, he shared that particular emotion.

"Can you guys cook?" Siamun asked.

"Well, yes..." Anzu said slowly. Yugi, on the other hand, shook his head helplessly.

"No, sir." Well, he could cook, but he was more of a desert person. Cookies, cakes... those were his specialty. He doubted they'd have the ingredients here, and he'd probably end up unintentionally poisoning someone by trying to substitute the constituents. Again.

"Hn." Siamun tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Can you play an instrument? Sing? Dance?"

"No, I don't know, and I've never tried, sir." Yugi hung his head, shame tainting his cheeks. Would Siamun think he was useless?

Turns out the answer was confidential. "I see," was all Siamun said. He appeared to be thinking deeply about something. "I'm sure with a little practise you could master a simple lute..." He smiled encouragingly, and Yugi found himself smiling back, happy that the man didn't seem to be disappointed.

"I can dance," Anzu said, sounding unusually quiet. Yugi almost smiled again. Anzu loved dancing. It was the one thing that Yugi's friends were certain she had never lied about _ever._

"You can? Wonderful!" Siamin said. "Hmm, let's see... Jono's sister Shizuka is quite proficient at both. Perhaps she could teach you?" Anzu and Yugi gave him a confused look.

"Lady Shizuka is the sister of Jono—Captain of the guards. She's married to Lord Honda, a friend of the Pharaoh's." Siamun turned to the two. "Come," he said, walking out one of the side doors to his left. Yugi and Anzu followed, every now-and-then gaping at the sights before them. Anzu's eyes glittered; Yugi's shined.

"Ah..." Siamun stopped at an ordinary-looking door and tilted his head to the side. "I'd offer you a place in my household, but I'm afraid we're rather... full," he said, looking apologetic. Yugi smiled. Anzu scowled lightly.

"It's fine," the amethyst-eyed man said. Anzu just shrugged, looking slightly irritated.

"This is where the servants stay. It's relatively empty, since most of the workers around here aren't... paid."

_He means they're slaves, _Yugi thought, the reality of his immense luck hitting him full-force. He could only nod as Siamun lightly pushed the door open.

"Make yourselves at home. I'm sure Ryou wouldn't mind showing you guys around."

"... Ryou?" Yugi blinked.

"Yes. He's out right now, but he's the head servant here. He's responsible for the slaves and servants." Siamun's face was thoughtful again. "Anyways, I fear I must be—" Suddenly a loud horn blared and the rest of Siamun's sentence was lost in the sound.

"Attack! There's been an attack on the palace!" Yugi suddenly found himself being bowled over by some blonde, armoured... thing.

"Slow down, Jono!" Siamun helped Yugi's "attacker" up, who immediately started apologizing. Now, normally Yugi would have instantly responded that it was okay, but he was too busy staring into the honey eyes of... Joey?!

"J-"

"Hey, look, I gotta go!" The Joey-Lookalike saluted. "Those damned barbarians pulled a surprise attack. The Pharaoh ordered me to find you, sir!"

"Thank you, Jono."

"Yeah, no problem." The-Man-Whose-Name-Was-Jono-But-Looked-Just-Like-Joey turned to look at Yugi and Anzu for a moment. "Huh. You two must be the new servants, am I right?"

"Jono..." Siamun looked annoyed. He arched his brow as a loud clash came from above. Jono looked a bit sheepish.

"Yeah, I'm going!"

"You'd be in a whole lot of trouble if Otogi wasn't there to help."

"Shut up," Jono mumbled. Siamun merely smiled. Jono turned to Yugi and Anzu again. He grinned at Yugi. "I guess everyone really _does_ have a—"

"JONO."

"I'm going!" With that the blond slammed a helmet on his head and turned, running down the hallway while simultaneously drawing his sword.

"I'm afraid I must take my leave," he said, letting the alarm seep into his tone. "Ryou!" No answer. Siamun shook his head. "I have no time for this..." he lightly pushed Yugi and Anzu in, and took off down the hallway, leaving the two modern dwellers to shift awkwardly from side-to-side.

"... Joey, huh..." Anzu finally said. Yugi nodded numbly.

"Ryou?" Another small nod from Yugi.

"Yes, did someone call me?"

"Cue Past Self Appearance," Anzu said, blinking as a white-haired man poked his head around the corner. _Ryou...?_

"Siamun? Siamun, are you here?" The albino frowned, slipping out from around the corner.

"N-no," Yugi said. "He just left."

"Huh," Ryou said, just as another loud _CRASH! _came from the direction of the throne room. He didn't looked phased. "You must be Yugi and Anzu, right?" He lightly scratched the back of his head at their expressions. "Word travels fast." When their expressions didn't changed, he mistook it for shock at the battle above. "Don't worry about it," he said. "It happens all the time. We're in the middle of a war, you know." Still no change. He sighed. "I got it from my mother."

"... What?" Anzu finally said.

"The hair."

"What about the hair?" Yugi.

"I got it from my mother. Most newcomers ask." Ryou fixed Yugi with a light glare. "Besides, you're one to talk. Your hair's almost as wild as the Pharaoh's."

"Eh...?" Neither of the two were really listening. They were too busy digesting the fact that _their friends _were back here in Egypt.

"Never mind. Are you two slow or something?" Ryou asked.

"No, it's just, umm..." Yugi stammered.

"We're having a hard time... adjusting. It wasn't too long ago that we were brutally separated by slavers, only to be reunited when we had almost given up hope!" Anzu said, adding extra dramatic flair. Ryou's eyes widened.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't know!"

"It's fine, really..." Yugi said, finally recovering enough to form a full sentence.

"No, it's not all right! I should have known this would be a bit much for you guys." He smiled softly. Yells came from above.

"_They've reached the Pharaoh's chambers!" _A cry rose.

"_Where's the Pharaoh?"_

"_Let's play a game..." _Yugi's eyes widened again at that statement.

Ryou exhaled. "Don't worry about it," he said lightly. "This isn't the first time they've gotten this far..." Though the two could tell by the tone of his voice that he was beginning to get scared. "So. Tell me about yourselves..."

-=-=-=-

Around thirty minutes later, the sounds, which had been steadily getting softer, disappeared completely. Only then did Ryou interrupted Anzu's rambling of her and Yugi's old "home."

"It's over!" The boy cried. He stood up and walked over to the door, opening it lightly. "Come on!" He waited for Yugi and Anzu to pick their way over to him before he slid out, walking steadily down the hallway. As they moved, Yugi took the opportunity to glance out the windows at the vast golden country. The city of Thebes stretched a fair ways in front of the palace, only stopping to give way to the vast Egyptian desert. Ryou halted at an archway and poked his head inside. The throne room, for a room that had just been attacked by invaders, didn't look all that bad. The members of Jono's guards were already pulling bodies away and taking enemy survivors to the dungeon. Bloodstains littered the floor, but Yugi caught sight of the slaves already rushing to do their jobs.

"Where are we going?" Yugi asked.

"To find Malik of course. His sister's a healer as well as one of the Pharaoh's Keepers. He'll know what's been going on..."

"Yugi! Anzu!" The two turned to see Siamun walking towards them. He didn't look much different, though his clothes were slightly rumbled and torn near the hem.

"You're alive!" Yugi cried. Siamun gave him an odd look and nodded.

"Yugi, my boy, I'm far too old to participate in the fighting," he chuckled lightly. "Ryou!" The boy stood at attention. "I don't suppose you were looking for Malik or Isis..."

"Actually..."

"Good. I need you to find Isis specifically. She'll know why." Ryou looked torn. "Don't worry, my boy; Yugi and Anzu will come with me. I need to talk to Set about something."

"All right, sir," Ryou said, turning around the vanishing around a corner. Siamun chuckled again and starting walking. Yugi had to admire the way everything was running. Already slaves were repairing the damage done and cleaning the throne room to erase all traces of the battle. He figured they were doing that to the other rooms as well.

_Including the Pharaoh's? _Yugi blinked as that thought occurred to him, and his steps faltered again. If Siamun noticed, he didn't act. He merely kept a steady forward pace, twisting and turning down hallways until he came to a window that marked the end of this hallway. Instead of turning around, however, the man turned to the right and lightly shoved a more grand-looking door aside.

"Ouch! Ra-dammit, Set," said a voice.

"If you hadn't been so stupid..."

"Well, I'm sorry for protecting myself."

"You should be. Now sit still! This is only going to hurt more if you continue to protest."

"I hate you."

"Now, my cousin, there's no need for that. Why, if I hadn't been there to save you..."

"I seem to recall hauling an assailant off of _you, _not the other way around."

"Shut up."

"Now who's being rude?" A rich chuckle and a low growl followed.

"Pharaoh!" Yugi and Anzu waited at the entrance to the room, heads down to show their respect, as Siamun called out and entered the room.

"Ah... Siamun." Yugi's heart thudded.

"You are wounded?" Siamun asked, concern in his voice.

"It's only a scratch," the Pharaoh replied. "Set acts like I purposefully impaled myself on a sword, though." Siamun smiled. It was only in rare moments of triumph did his Pharaoh allow himself to smile and even laugh. He must have felt good about this victory.

"You might as well of."

"Set..." A rustling of cloth and a grunt.

"Told you."

"I can discharge you, you know."

"Your own cousin? You really are heartless."

"Keep it up and you'll see just how _heartless _I can be." Above it all Yugi could hear Siamun laughing.

"Feeling good today, my Pharaoh?"

"Mmm..." A purr. "Yes. There's nothing like pounding the life out of a would-be killer to brighten up my day." A slight hint of sarcasm. Yugi gasped. "Who's there?" The same voice.

"Ah... you know those two servants I told you about?" Siamun asked carefully, not sure how long his Pharaoh's mood would last.

"Yes."

"They were just accompanying me," Siamun continued.

"I see..."

"Pharaoh?" Set's voice.

"Send them in." An edge.

"As you wish." Compliance. Siamun walked back over to the door and opened it, ushering the two inside. They kept their heads down, as they were expected to.

"Look up." They did.

Anzu fainted. Yugi's eyes bulged. Though he had about guessed it by this point, the fact that he was indeed here was enough to make Yugi want to cling like he was a drowning man and the Pharaoh was his life preserver.

For who else should it be but Atem?

Siamun was trying to revive Anzu, who was still passed out on the ground. Yugi guessed the shock and overloaded her brain.

If the Modern-Joey had been here, he would have made a remark on her supposed lack of one, though Yugi knew Anzu was _very _smart.

"It's you!" Yugi couldn't help but exclaim, though he wished he hadn't as the Pharaoh's exotic crimson eyes narrowed dangerously. Thinking fast, Yugi added: "I, umm... I saw you in a... in a dream yesterday. You and a raven-haired woman with a strange necklace." He knew adding Isis in, when he supposedly hadn't seen her, would add sincerity to his claim.

"Is she all right?" Set asked, sounding as if he couldn't care less but was merely asking to break the strange silence that had enveloped the room.

"She'll be fine. These two have been through a lot," Siamun said. Yugi felt guilty for all these lies.

"Yes, you told me." Yugi suppressed a shiver as his dark—though he supposed Atem was his own person now—spoke, though there was something in Atem's voice that had never been there back when they had shared a body. An edge. Yugi's eyes travelled to the man's arm, where a white cloth was wrapped securely around it.

"_You are wounded?" _He remembered Siamun's words and felt a pang. It was only then Yugi realized that the occupants of the room were looking at him expectedly—and in Atem and Set's case, irritably.

"Umm... yes?" Yugi said, feeling small. Siamun chuckled lightly while Set scoffed and Atem raised an eyebrow.

"I said you look pale—"

"—He looks pale anyways," Set grumbled. Siamun glared at him. "Is anything wrong?" The vizier finished.

"Umm... tired. I'm just tired." Yugi hung his head. His heart hammered in his chest, and he felt like crying.

"I understand, my boy," Siamun said, patting him on the back. Still lying on the floor, Anzu groaned and sat up, before fainting again.

"Someone get her out of here already!" Set snapped, watching as a random guard picked Anzu up and carefully walked out of the room with her. Yugi started to follow.

"Stop." The Pharaoh's voice, while not a yell, still managed to convey enough power to still the amethyst-eyed man.

"Yes, umm... Pharaoh?" Yugi asked. He turned to momentarily meet a pair of sharp crimson eyes. Such a change, both from the man Yugi had known as Mou Hitori no Boku, and the man he had overheard laughing at the expense of his High Priest and cousin just moments before.

"Where, exactly, are you from?" Yugi sagged again, and he felt tears pricking his eyes.

"Japan, sir," he mumbled. And before anyone could say anything else, he bowed and hurried out of the room.

-=-=-=-

"Strange boy," Atem murmured, looking back to Set. Siamun shrugged.

"He's been through a lot. Cut him some slack."

"Tell him that if he wants sympathy he can go ask the slaves their life stories," came the short reply. Siamun sighed.

"Is that all, Pharaoh?"

"No. Tell the same thing to the girl." Atem turned to the balcony, running his hands through his hair. He bit his lip lightly. "Ra has completed his journey," he said lowly. "It's time for the feast of Hathor." And so he turned, his eyes as deadpan as his tone, a change not unnoticed by either of the other two room occupants.

"So it is, my Pharaoh," Siamun said. Set remained silent, knowing how much his cousin resented this ceremony. He turned, walking out the door, Siamun in pursuit. Atem needed time to prepare, and not just physically.

-=-=-=-

Anzu groaned as her eyelids fluttered open. She felt as if she was being transferred from one thing to another.

"Here she is, sir!"

"God knows how she managed to get this far... I don't understand! She's never run before..."

"Look! She's awake!"

"Fix it!" Then Anzu felt something hit her head and she knew no more.

-=-=-=-

Yugi stumbled into the servants' corridor, his vision blurry with unshed tears. As he flung the door open, he was met with the sight of Ryou and another blonde—Marik (or Malik), though he shouldn't have been surprised—chatting quietly on the bed.

"Yugi?" Ryou asked in alarm. Malik—Marik?—said nothing, though Yugi suddenly noticed a glimmer of triumph and recognition in his eyes. Was this Modern-Marik, or his Egyptian counterpart, Malik?

"I-It's nothing," Yugi said, taking a deep breath. He would have to wait a bit longer. "You are... Malik?" He asked the blonde tiredly.

"Marik," the man smirked. Yugi could only blink. Marik sighed. "Ryou, if I may borrow Yugi for a moment...?"

"Umm... yeah, sure," Ryou said, exiting the room. "I have stuff to do, anyways." As soon as Ryou was gone, Marik lightly pushed Yugi. Not resisting, Yugi lightly plunked down onto one of the pallets. Marik sat down beside him.

"You remember me?" Yugi asked. Marik tilted his head to the side.

"Time in a delicate thing," he said simply. "In this time period, there never was a Marik—but there was a Malik. However, I have... altered it somewhat. Malik never was, it was always Marik," he said simply. Yugi rubbed his eyes, and Marik sighed.

"Look, I'm here to help you," he said in irritation. Yugi almost smiled. _That_ was the Marik he knew.

"I see you've run into... the others?"

"If by _others_ you mean Ryou, Jono, Siamun, Set, and... Atem..."

"Oh... so you found him?" Marik's voice quieted somewhat.

"Yes..."

"Where's Anzu?" Yugi suddenly asked. Marik scratched his head. "See, we had a bit of a problem with her. There was an Anzu—or at least and Anzu-like character—in the Pharaoh's past, but she was farther back in his life. He is eighteen now, Yugi," Marik said. "His soul will be sealed within the puzzle in only a few short years." Marik seemed to notice he had gone off-track. "In the Pharaoh's memories there were glimmers of a girl—a Princess; the daughter of a warring country. In order to keep the peace, the King arranged to have his daughter come here as a possible suitor for the Pharaoh himself."

"Marik, out of everyone, why are _you_ the all-knowing Messiah, here?"

"Yugi, every story has a character like me."

"Yeah? Well why you?" Yugi asked, his tears already dried.

"I'm just that good-looking."

"What does you being good-looking have to do with anything?"

"So you agree!"

"Marik..."

"Yugi, all the Messiah's and All-Knowing characters with the information to help or hinder the hero are good-looking. Don't you read?" Marik huffed, crossing his arms.

"Yes. In all the books I read they were the bad guys. And hero?"

"YUGI."

"I'm sorry," Yugi giggled, already relaxing as he bantered with the one person—excluding Anzu—who remembered him. Marik coughed.

"We never really knew what happened, for the Pharaoh's memories were merely scraps of information, but we figured it didn't work out between them, though the reasons were never made clear."

"Why not? I mean, how do you know?"

"The Pharaoh was sealed in the puzzle, Yugi. He had no wife at the time," Marik said.

"Oh..."

"Yeah." Marik lounged against the wall the bed was backed against. "Funny thing is, yesterday I got word that she was missing."

"And how do you know this?"

"All-knowing." Marik winked and Yugi moaned.

"So what was her name?" Yugi finally asked.

"The princess? Her name was Teana."

-=-=-=-

Anzu woke up to a candle being shoved in her face as a woman with blonde hair pulled back, a smirk firmly in place. Anzu blinked, her head feeling fuzzy.

"W-What happened? Where am I?" She groaned, lightly bringing her arm to her forehead in order to shield herself from the candlelight.

"Back at home," said the blonde, her tone sounding slightly irritated. "And hello to you too, Teana."

"Teana? Who's she?"

"You, moron," the blonde said. "Those guards hit you too hard, didn't they? Or maybe it was those Egyptians. I swear, if I _ever_ get my hands on them." Anzu sat up and looked around. Lights from multiple fires glowed outside the walls of the makeshift shelter she was in. She realized the blonde was talking again.

"... Excuse me?"

"..." The blonde sighed. "If you hadn't just been kidnapped by Egyptians I might have just had to whack you over the head myself."

"Err..."

"Exactly. You're lucky one of the soldiers spotted you during the battle, you know!"

"What, what are _you_ doing here?" Anzu asked, regaining her sensibility rapidly, especially since she realized that the blonde woman was, in fact, Mai Valentine, the duelist. Mai—at least, the woman who could pass for Mai's identical twin—looked annoyed. "I volunteered my services as a healer, like a bunch of other people, though most of them were mere peasants, not nobles." She waved her hand. Anzu blinked.

"You've been a real inconvenience, did you know that? Now we're going to have to take you back... Sorry, Teana," though Mai didn't sound sorry.

"I... what?"

"Back to Hirrak(2)," Mai said slowly, as if she was talking to a mentally-ill four-year-old. "You know, our country? I hear your father was pretty ticked when he found you missing today, really. It's a good thing Hirrak and Egypt are right next to each other. He launched this whole attack to get you back, you know. He figures it's gone too far. He's already negotiating your marriage so we can end this quickly. Egypt just keeps winning!"

"Marriage?!" That caught Anzu's attention. Mai smirked.

"Knew that'd get your attention. You've only been talking about it for the past four years, especially about how your father seemed to be taking _forever_ to arrange one."

"... Who will I be marrying?" Anzu asked, using this information and putting fake cheer into her voice.

"Why, the Pharaoh of Egypt, of course!"

And she fainted again.(3)(4)

-=-=-=-

"Teana?" Yugi frowned. Marik just shrugged.

"Princess of Hirrak," was all he said. "Those Hirrakies always did think up weird names."

"... Right. How come this place isn't on the map?" Yugi asked.

"Duh. It's not called Hirrak back in _our_ time."

"What's it called, then?"

"Hell if I know," Marik said, and Yugi felt like slapping him.

"I thought you said you knew everything!"

"No one knows everything, Yugi."

"Grr-!"

"Marik!" Ryou suddenly opened the door, poking his head in. "Your sister needs you!"

"Good ol' Isis, eh?" Marik chuckled, standing up. "All right. See you later, Yugi! Nice talking to you!" With that, Marik stepped out of the room and was gone.

"What were you two talking about?" Ryou asked. Other servants were beginning to pile in.

"Oh... just stuff," Yugi said. Ryou looked around. He didn't even ask where Anzu was, and neither did Yugi.

"Hey, if you want you can lodge with me?" Ryou asked. "It's nothing fancy, but it's private enough," he said, shrugging again. Yugi beamed.

"Thank you, Ryou."

And so they found themselves at the doorway to a fairly modest (at least for this time period) white house with two or three rooms.

"Nothing fancy?" Yugi arched his own brow. Ryou flushed.

"Umm..."

"I'm just teasing," Yugi said. "Though I didn't think you made this much..."

"Yeah, well, sometimes I get, uh... bonuses... and stuff." Yugi could have laughed. Ryou was still horrible at lying, and yet Yugi didn't feel like pursuing the matter.

Why was it that everyone acted like they did in modern times, except for the one person he had hoped for the most?

Thinking of his other self made him want to either cry or punch a wall again. With a heavy heart, Yugi lay down on the pallet Ryou provided, and mulled over his new thoughts. He heard a cheer from outside, and remembered the feast of Hathor. Scrambling up he walked into the front room to see Ryou staring out the window, where the Priests were making a ceremonial sacrifice to the goddess. Yugi blinked as another cheer arose, this time as the Pharaoh stepped forward. Yugi felt his jaw drop. Eye candy? Psh, no way. The Pharaoh was beyond just mere candy. He wore a pair of white baggy pants and a tight black shirt, as well as a dark purple cloak. On his head was the golden crown which depicted the eye of Wadjet, and Yugi was left to briefly wonder why Atem, out of all the Pharaohs he had learned about, never possessed the traditional crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, for he knew for a fact that the lands were united by this point in history.

Atem began to speak, and Yugi could hear his powerful voice as if he were standing right there beside him. He spoke of the battle, and how the Egyptians had won. He even spoke of peace prospects, and that a new option was being presented to the people of Egypt, so they no longer had to live in fear of being constantly under attack by Hirrak's grand army, which was close to rivalling even Egypt's. He spoke of how Egypt clearly held the gods' favour, and he thanked them for that, as well as the constant stream of victories being reported from both the borders and small raids and skirmishes, both in and out of Egypt. And yet, even through that, one question remained prominent and dominant in his brain.

_Why doesn't he remember me?_

_-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-_

And so we have come to a momentary end. I don't think I can apologize enough for the long wait; I can only plead my school and social life. I hope you all understand. I am also aware that I toned down the battle quite a bit, but you have to understand that since neither Yugi nor Anzu actually witnessed it, there's really no point in describing it as it goes on, am I right?

Anyways, I hope I can assure you all that the next chapter will not be nearly as long in the coming as this one was. I couldn't figure out a way to write this particular instalment, first off, and even though I am finished this chapter, I know a lot of the characters were OOC, and for that I apologize most profoundly.

Forgive me?

Thanks for reading, and please review.

**Footnotes: (1) Insert angry reviewers here.**

**(2) I just made that up. Shh. I'm very bad/lazy when it comes to Geology that isn't my own country/England/Europe.**

**(3)"She" is Anzu.**

**(4) Yes, I know Mai is OOC—shut up.**


End file.
